Ice, Ice Baby!

The ice is here and still falling. I think it ends around mid-day tomorrow. The birds don’t appear to be coming to the feeders. I can’t see the food so I’m pretty sure it’s frozen up inside the feeder and not dropping down. Or maybe it’s the ice on the ring where they would normally stand that’s keeping them away. I put bird seed on the rails of the deck last night before turning in, but it’s all iced over and hidden now.

I had placed some seed on a table on the other deck, the one away from the feeders, but as you can see it’s frozen solid now, too.

I couldn’t get the screened door open to the deck where the feeders hang. The ice had built up so much in front of the door, it wouldn’t budge. The door to this deck opened though, so I took a few pics for you of this side. It’s so weird because though this looks like snow, it’s really pretty much all ice. When you walk on it, it doesn’t dent. It’s a hard, frozen surface. I walked all around the deck and you can’t even see any footprints.

I sprinkled some seed out on the deck floor since the ice had momentarily stopped falling.

After I went back inside, I peeked through the shutters in the family room and the birds were already coming to the seed. Can you see Mr. Cardinal?

I think they sit in the trees and watch for me to come out. 🙂

Other birds began coming, too. We had a brief respite for an hour or so but it’s falling again as I write this.

The bottle tree has become a colorful ice sculpture.

I took a photo of this small table yesterday evening when the ice first began. Writing in it felt just like writing in a big, slushy drink that’s been spilled across the table.

Today it looks like this–covered in a hard, white tablecloth. You would need a chisel to write in it today.

The front walkway is a landmine, you could ice skate up to the front door. The grass crunches as you walk across it. Such a weird sound for grass to make.

I’ve closed all the shutters to keep as much heat inside as possible. Amazing how insulating they are. When I crack one to look out, a huge rush of freezing air hits my face.

I’m a little worried about the boxwoods that I just put into planters this past summer. They have become ice sculptures, too.

So far the magnolia tree still has its top, but the limbs have bent down so far under the weight of the ice, the top is now spread wide open revealing the tall spindly limbs it put out the last two times it lost its top in an ice storm. Keeping my fingers crossed it doesn’t lose it again.

Several thousand folks were without power earlier today, so far I’m not one of them. This should all be over by tomorrow night, then life should return to normal.

Susan!! Are you crazy?? Don’t be walking around on that icy deck (or any other icy place, Missy.) We don’t need you losing your footing and winding up on your cushy place. (Believe, me, I’ve been there.) I know it’s hard for you to sit still, but just walk around INSIDE the house, will ya? 😛

You are so good to the little birds. 😀 I know they loved rushing over there to that seed. I hope their little feathers are working double time to keep them warm right now. Glad to hear you’re safe. Thanks for letting us know. 🙂

Pam, you are too funny! For some reason, it wasn’t very slippery. The only parts that looked slippery were the front steps and walkway, so I avoided those. I’ll stay inside though…too cold to go out except to sprinkle a little seed.

Hi Susan We missed the ice but have plenty of snow here in Charlotte, although the snow has stopped and it’s kind of sleeting. I put birdseed directly on my deck for the birds too. There were 4 bluebirds there a few minutes ago and my bird feeders have been a hotbed of activity all day. At least the feeders haven’t frozen.

I agree with the above blogger, STAY INSIDE!!! It is too dangerous and if you fell and couldn’t get up who the heck would find you???? It is supposed to start here at midnight and keep coming down til tomorrow night too. UGH.

Susan, It was fun to see these pics and know you are safe now. HOWEVER, you can’t be too careful. I have a friend that fell and broke her hip on the ice we had in south Alabama week before last. She is in her very early fifties. Way too young to break a hip. Please stay in until it is over.

So cold looking. All the snow has melted here in Oregon but now were on flood watch due to lots of rain coming all this week. In high 40’s and low 50s. Stay warm Susan, oh and looks like you left your water hose to freeze, I hope its unhooked from the water spicket.

I hope the power stays on for you. That’s always the bugger about ice.
I get a newsletter from Wild Birds Unlimited and in December they sent one out- this is a part of it:
Our feathered friends on the outside in these extreme cold temperatures are thinking more calories. They especially look for calories from fat! Make sure feeding stations include suet,peanuts and bark butter as well as a good seed blend. Calories from fat are very important for birds when the mercury plummets so low and the day length is so short I also keep my nesting boxes up as they are sometimes used by my birds as winter roosting sites. Small birds like chickadees, titmice and nuthatches burn calories from body fat stores to stay warm on cold nights. A chickadee may burn as much as 15% of its available body fat during one cold night. Fueling up with calories from fat during the day becomes a top priority for winter survival.
A low moisture winter diet needs to be supplemented with a good drink of water.A heated birdbath is a great source of water for winter wildlife. I also like to sweep away snow under feeding stations and spread a few handfuls of Winter Blend for ground feeding birds. Cardinals, juncos and Mourning Doves prefer feeding on or near the ground .

Pretty pictures. I just had a beautiful cardinal flying around and searching for seeds in the snow. Wanted to get a picture but he would stop long enough. Think the red cardinal against the snow would be a great Waterlogue picture. Do you have the Waterlogue app? I’m addicted. The picture of your bottle tree would be great to use the app on. If you don’t have or can’t get the app, email me the picture and I’ll “Waterlogue” it for you.

If it continues to rain ice and if you have it you can wrap your boxwood up in burlap. Here in Colorado I do this to not only my boxwood but my prince albert dwarf spruce trees and my butterfly bush. It helps keep the branches from getting damaged by snow and ice. Hopefully the boxwood is OK! Stay inside ice is just yucky. Thanks for sharing your pictures and BE CAREFUL! Victoria

My cousin in Atlanta has been without power since 8 a.m. Small kids in the house too.
It is supposed to start here late tonight, on top of the foot that is already there, frozen.
Big week for travel as the schools close next week for Feb break. Airports will be a mess, they already have canceled 1000’s of flights.
6 more weeks of it for us, so we just have to wait it out.
Hope you keep your power!

Kathleen, I hope she has her power back by now. Does she have a gas fireplace? That’s what has saved me in the past when we lost power. I hope she does, they really come in handy in times like this.
I know you are ready to see winter end, also.

We have had our fair share of ice here in East Texas. The handicap ramp at my house is like a downhill ice slope and the wooden handrails have one-half ince of ice on them so you can’t hold onto them for support. So no going down the ramp today!! The roads were pretty clear and I came on to work but the grass crunched under my feet, too, when I retrieved the newspaper from the front yard. But by noon it was about 40 degrees, the sun was shining and it has stayed that way the rest of today. Sunday it is to be mid-70’s! I’m going to look for my shorts and flip flops tonight so I will be ready for Sunday!!!!

You are a brave soul to walk outside on ice…careful now! Your boxwoods should be just fine. I have one planted in the ground, and so far it’s survived four bad winters. Is it supposed to warm up this weekend? I know next week it’s supposed to get in the 30’s here…balmy…and we can’t wait! 😉

Hi from South Australia. Your stories of freezing weather are amazing, but hard to relate to. We are coming to the end of a record breaking hot summer here. The most days with temps over 105 F since records were started 117 years ago. So while I guess you ll have a garden quite damaged by the ice when it melts, my garden is becoming browner by the day. Although as I write there’s a thunder storm happening so the humidity will shoot up next. The birds here too are struggling, to stay cool. And in my area they re not as glamorous as your cardinals. They re Corrella s, the slightly unattractive cousin of our beautiful Cockatoos. Anyway, I agree with the others Susan, stay off the ice!! Experience tells me girls of ‘our age’ land like a ‘sack of potatoes’ if we fall 🙂

Ha, ha…I have mental image of that now. Wow, I can’t imagine that kind of heat! I’ve heard we will have a hot summer here, hope it’s not as hot as yours! Wish I could send you some of this cooler weather…we could balance each other out!

Very icy! Be careful, it is so easy to fall. Snow is coming down in Southern Virginia, than it should turn to rain. Not a welcome sight around here either. It is sweet how you worry about your outdoor birds. I just feel so sorry for them too. They are Southerners and not used to this kind of weather. The birds do know you and wait for you. I have my special guy . He waits in the morning and flies along with me as I walk the dog. Yesterday morning I kicked the dog out by himself and they both sat by the door waiting for me. My dog respects birds since we had a cockatiel for 28 years until he passed away 4 years ago. — Keep warm and watch tha ice!

Susan, I am glad you have not had a power outage, that ice looks dangerous. After a few days of snow, we woke up to lovely sunshine and 15 degrees, just like Spring. As I am typing this, a tiny bird is sitting outside the window on my window box. He seems to be sheltering, has been there for ages. I cannot take a photo as I have heavy blinds and it would frighten him away to lift them. I told him the food is around the back!! 🙂
What crazy weather this is, England is flooded, rivers have broken their banks and flooded villages where it has not happened before.
Keep warm and safe.

I feel for all of you being hit so hard with cold, snow and ice. I sit here is So. California, and we pray for rain and snow in our mountains and it’s warm and dry. Up to the lower 80’s today, the nights get down into the 40’s but the days are warm.

Hope you get some rain soon, Margo. I’ve been hearing about the droughts in the news. Georgia had a severe, severe drought for several years in a row about 4-5 years ago. It started the “Water Wars” with Florida. What a mess that was…long story!

What a beautiful bird-the cardinal in your picture! You are so kind to feed the birds. I feel sorry for the wildlife and hope the weather improves, for everyones sake. I live in California and the worse thing going for us is a drought which is serious but we have had some rain. Hope everyone gets there power back on and things get back to normal.

I worry about them, too. I just feel bad for anything that has to live outside in this cold. I’ve seen pics on other blogs of birds in the norther parts of the country so I guess they can handle it better than I think. I hope you start getting more rain. We’ve had way too much this past summer. I think we had more than Seattle and other areas like that. Wish we could have sent some of it your way.

Susan,
I enjoy your blog so much! Thanks for all the wonderful posts, and for taking such good care of the birds during your ice storm. Does my heart good to see it. Stay safe and keep warm! Hope your magnolia fares well!
Patty

Susan, Put on a pot of soup and find a movie to watch until this blows over. I am glad the people in charge have been more proactive compared to your previous storm. Thanks for taking care of the birds.

Yep, they’ve been on it this time. After what happened a couple of weeks ago, they got their act together. The sad thing Madonna is if/when this happens again say in 3-4 years, you’ll see a complete repeat. They always forget. This isn’t the first time they’ve had egg on their face. Several years ago we had a similar situation where they weren’t out ahead of a storm that was forecast on its way. They got it right this time because it just happened two weeks ago, but in a few years it’s all forgotten and the cycle repeats. I was shocked to see the schools be so proactive and cancel classes for two days in advance. They usually wait to the very last minute the day of the big weather event. Wish they had been so proactive when my son was in school.

Hi, Susan,
Thank you for the great pictures. Mother Nature is really an incredible artist! Thank you for taking such good care of your feathered friends; your gestures are truly heartwarming. I’m glad this weather will be over for you soon. Take care. Rosie

Susan,
So good to hear from you, dear friend!!!
I’ve been praying for all my blog friends in the area since early morning!!!
Here’s to hoping that your power is sufficent to see you through the storm.
Stay warm, dear one!!!
Fondly,
Pat

Susan, Your readers are correct. Stay off that ice. I’ve been watching the evening news here in the Cleveland, Ohio area and they are telling horror stories about the Atlanta area. It sounds bad. We’ve been in the deep freeze for several weeks and I’m still NOT used to it. I hate being confined however several years ago I tried to take my puppy outside on a similar night and I slipped off our back concrete steps injuring my back and hitting my head so hard that it knocked me out. I woke with my puppy licking my face. To this day my back hurts in the exact spot where I hit the step corner. The hospital took x-rays and said all was well though. To make a long story short, throw a log on the fire and curl up with a good book and a soothing beverage. Stay warm and thanks as always for your lovely posts. I really enjoy them.

I’m with Lisa..don’t be surprized that your glass top table doesn’t shatter. I have a heavy wrought iron coffee table that goes with the patio set and it has a glass top..We always bring it inside during the winter for that reason. It takes 2 people to lift it and it’s very heavy. I have to do so many things by myself anymore because of DH back problem. I struggle with it to the door, then lift one end at a time, then slide furniture slidders under each leg and away she glides, under my direction. This winter I have all my Holiday cactus on top of it.

Oh wow, Susan. That just looks terrible! We’ve certainly had our share of ice and snow storms here in Michigan this winter. Really a brutally harsh season up here this year. We still have about 30″ of snow on the ground. But last month when we had our ice storm, we lost soooo many maple tree branches and huge limbs. I laid in bed that night (without power) and heard the cracks and booms of them falling. It was horrible. Our property the next morning was shocking to see. Since we really haven’t had a thaw yet this winter, we have to wait til spring to clean up out there. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.

Oh, and about your shutters? Yep – our wood prairie shutters have truly helped to keep out the sub-zero temps this winter. Amazing how insulating they are, isn’t it? 🙂

Hi Susan- hunkered down here at home in Greenville, SC tonight. Our bird feeder must have attracted all your birds, since it’s been non-stop aviary traffic all day long. Love watching them in the snow! Headed outside in a minute to spread more for the ground feeders. All of us really appreciate hearing from you, knowing you’re OK in Atlanta. Can’t wait to see the sun shine forecasted for tomorrow! Take care…

Glad you are safe at home, and hope that you don’t lose power! We are expecting our fourth snowstorm in 10 days here in the northeast, and this is supposed to be a big one! Be careful out there while you’re out feeding the birds!

We are about to get your storm tonight. It has been very cold here and there is a good deal of ice to contend with, so we have resorted to Kitty Litter… It gives good traction , doesn’t’t hurt the environment, or scar the concrete… Need I say fresh Kitty Litter???
Stay safe,
SheilaC

That ice is scary. This afternoon/early evening my son stopped by on his way home from teaching school and I didn’t let him stay too long because the snow was coming down like crazy. Soon after he arrived home they closed the Churchland Bridge because of dangerous conditions. I am glad he got home safely!

My bird feeders were busy, busy this evening too. I took a couple of pictures.

Even with the blinds pulled down there is snow all over my screened in porch! We live in Apex – 20 min south of Raleigh, NC. We don’t budget much for snow here, we budget more for hurricanes and tornadoes, which means the preferred method of snow removal is “melting.” So even though we only have 5 inches of snow the half inch of ice atop is making it impossible to plow through completely (and I hear there’s a bit more coming tomorrow).
Staying warm & dry inside tonight with my husband, watching the Olympics and marveling over the fact that it’s colder here than it is in Russia. Stay safe everyone and look out for your neighbors, especially the elderly!

Terri – that ice is impossible to shovel so it’s difficult to get things back to normal even after the storm is over. I was commenting on the same thing – it’s warmer in Russia than the southern US. Crazy. That is the effect of climate change – weather is upside down, erratic, unusual and so on. I feel like mother nature is telling us to be kinder to her! 🙂 Stay warm!

It was so nice to see your pictures & I have been thinking about you and wondering how the storm was affecting your neighborhood. Please be careful walking and I think it’s so nice how you were able to put seed out at just the right time for the birds to be able to find it. I hope this is your last cold weather storm of the season & really hope that your power stays on.

Hey Susan! a helpful hint from one of your northern fans?
When you are getting warnings re wintry snow mix approaching
it is time to detach that garden hose and bring into the garage
at least so that you don’t have a busted hose from freezing water
in it or worse yet, your outlet freezes and cracks. Just the voice
of experience.
I loved! your bottle tree and your winter tablescape, set out during
that last storm, was both beautiful and hilarious. I tried to get my
husband interested in dinner on the patio but he was not much
interested in sitting in a foot of snow! Some people have lost their
sense of joy!!!
Stay safe and warm!!!

You know I could never EVER leave a bottle out in winter – every single one would freeze and break – can’t even leave bottles in a garage!

I like your Mr, Cardinal – I posted Sundaty about a pair of cardinals – I don’t usually have time to get the camera, but this time I did – and yesterday I posted GREAT news – hope you visit to see! ♥♥♥

Glad that you have electric still. This has been a crazy winter for all parts of our beloved country, but this southern weather has been so unusual (and dangerous!). I think we’ll all breathe deeply when spring comes (I’m dreaming of pansys!). So nice of you to feed the birds – I’ve noticed they tend to eat a lot during a storm to keep themselves warm… very sweet.

Also – I’ve been meaning to tell you I LOVE the banner on your website and how you change it seasonally. I would love my own house to decorate like that. Is that something a person can download somewhere?

Susan, you were in my thoughts throughout the day. I’m glad you still have power and are safe at home. Thank you for posting the amazing pictures – especially the ones of the beautiful Cardinal. Could you send some of that ice water our way? We’re in a terrible drought in So Cal. When I came home after work, it was still 70. Past nights we’ve had 40s. They say it will be 80 this weekend -too much for early February. Thanks again for the great pix, but please don’t venture out on the ice!

I’ve been thinking about you all today. I have a friend in Leesburg, GA and hoping she’s south of the ice. So sorry you are having to endure it. Ice is so destructive. Hope you all stay warm and safe!!!

We have the same squirrel proof feeder as you do; ours has a green top. Our feeder is working fine; lots of activity today; Towhee, Carolina Wren, Chickadees, Cardinals, etc. Hubby cleans the feeder every so often; don’t know if that helps. You said “Mr. Cardinal”. I refer to the female Cardinal, as “Lady Cardinal”.

Mine is multicolored because I’ve had it so long parts have worn out and the store where I purchased it replaced them with new parts, but they didn’t match. Looks kind of weird, I know. lol I finally saw a few birds coming to it but not as many as I usually do. Maybe they are all just staying hidden away. I guess they can’t fly very well with ice-covered wings and it was raining ice for most of the day. Thanks, Tammie for letting me know your feeder is working in the cold. I was really starting to wonder about mine.

Susan, I’m still up; can’t go to sleep for looking out the windows. We already have about 5 inches of snow and ice and the sleet sounded like pellets about 2 hours ago. It has stopped for now but should start up again about 3 or 4 a.m. There is no traffic anywhere and I’m so glad. We are prepared for a week or so with food, drinks, etc. Why do we think we can eat anything we want to when it snows?? Is it because we so seldom see snow?? We surely are enjoying watching TV and munching all day !!! Thanks for the blogs; I look about twice a day to see if you have another one up. I enjoy them so much and especially during this icy weather we are having and are staying in. Stay safe and warm.

I had the same problem last night. I tried to go to sleep and I can hearing the ice hitting the windows and it was really upsetting me because I knew it was also piling up on the magnolia. I finally had to get up and turn on a fan I have in my bedroom that I run in the summer months, so I could drown out the sound. I just faced the fan away from me. I hated hearing it falling…scary sound.
I know what you mean about the food. I have been splurging and eating some stuff I don’t always eat. Maybe it’s because we are “trapped” inside and can’t go anywhere so it feels like comfort food in all this scary cold weather. It’s supposed to end here by middle to late afternoon tomorrow. I hope it passes through your area quickly, too!

susan,
the whole country is really paying a penance for sure! in michigan, we are headed for a warming trend in
the lower double digits, thank GOD!
i hope your pretty glass bottles don’t break….
keep feeding those cute birds!

Dear Sweet Susan:
Now that I’m aware you live alone, I find myself thinking how you are doing and if you are okay. I’m sure you are, in that you are the original “Steel Magnolia”….so sweet, gentle and self-reliant…but…I’m also the original “Mama Bear” and I want to just keep you safe. So take care baby, mama loves you.♥

Awww, thanks Cynthia! All is well here so don’t worry. I’ve been very lucky…haven’t lost heat. Hope that continues. It should all be over by tomorrow afternoon, thanks goodness! This is definitely a winter to remember! Hope you are safe and warm!

Been thinking about you today and glad to hear you still have power. And please stay indoors and off the ice!!! You shouldn’t take chances like that!!! I always close the blinds and draw the curtains closed in severe weather, it makes such a difference. I also made draft dodgers and have them on the window ledges and on the sashes, talk about a cold blast of air when they are removed!!!! They are not the classiest of decor but boy, they make a difference……

Can’t get to the feeders for awhile now and have been spreading seed on the ground…….and many days go by without a sign of a bird……severe global weather, the floods in England, drought in Calif. and in Alaska, the spring flowers are blooming!!!

I put a towel down in front of a door that goes from the family room to the porch. Long story but the seal across the bottom isn’t right and there’s a tiny gap. That towel helped! Would that qualify as a draft dodger? 🙂

Regarding your boxwoods – if it’s this cold next winter – you may need to wrap your boxwoods in burlap (a la Martha Stewart’s Casa De Burlap – check out her blog for many posts on burlap!). It does help. Also those outside pots can crack when you have that much ice. Stay warm! The pictures from CNN look awful for you guys!

Hi Susan, Are you fareing better today? Ice is so very pretty – meant for taking lots of photos – just never try to walk or drive on it. I wanted to ask you a question regarding your bottle tree. Do you ever have any issues with wasps trying to make a home in them? I wanted to try making one, but I have quite a few wasps in the summer and I was afraid they would want to set up home in them. Yesterday we had a thick fog which was freezing on the trees, roads, everywhere. It put a thick glaze of ice on top of our snow. What goofy weather this year! Tomorrow we’re supposed to hit 30 degrees! WooHoo – Shorts weather!

I live in New Jersey and we have plenty of snow and ice. I can not get into my yard to fill my bird feeders or on my deck either. Maybe I can open my kitchen window and throw some seed out on the deck. I see from your post that the birds like that.

It snowed quite a bit in early December and then stayed so cold that my back lawn froze over. It stayed that way for over a month, so I know what you mean about ice. It was hopeless trying to pick up dog droppings, and when it finally thawed and I could get to them, I had two HUGE bags of doggie poop. Ice is no fun and very scary on many levels. I worry about the seniors walking from the parking lots to the grocery stores or movies, etc.

I have wanted bird feeders on my deck, and out in the yard, but afraid they will attract rodents. Do you have trouble with them? Can’t stand the thought of rodents in my house! Do love your bottle tree, so colorfull!

Liz, I don’t have any trouble with these because the feeders hang so far out on the pole. I don’t think anything could get out there to them. I wouldn’t hang one from the deck unless you buy really long shepherd’s hooks. Yes, love the bottle tree although it stays pretty dirty due to the trees over head. I’m thinking of moving it out from under those, but I do love it!

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